The typical smell of copal at the entrance of the greenhouse at Xel-Ha meant that an encounter full of mysticism, symbology and reunion with the Mayan roots of this land, was about to happen. A line of bougainvilleas on the fine sand of a winding lane showed the way to a faithful reproduction of a pre-modern Mayan dwelling.

Collaborators from Xel-Ha, guests from Chemuyil, Akumal, Carrillo Puerto and a few from Yucatán dressed in the traditional attire - white hipil decorated with multicolored embroidered flowers and white clothes for men - get to meet each other. There, the smell of plants mingles with the achiote chicken or the tortillas on the comal, while Don Pedro May Canul, the Mayan priest from Tixcacal Cupul, Yucatán, gets ready: "my grandfather taught me, he was 115 years old when he died. He taught me how to pray for the bees and how to thank our father in heaven for the bees and the flowers, so that bees don´t suffer. I have come here three times to carry out this ritual of praying for the bees and I enjoy doing it. The priest blesses the water that falls on the flowers, so that the bees do not get sick".

It is very important for people coming from other villages and towns to know about this custom, because we, the sons of the Maya, are teaching them how to do this work, so that when I die someone else can do my work, but nobody wants to learn. I also know remedies to cure children with eye diseases. I have two sons, Francisco and Susano, and I am teaching them how to cure these diseases with herbs, he says proudly, in his peculiar Spanish with a strong "Mayan" accent.

Gregorio Vázquez Canché, a representative of CONACULTA and Popular Cultures from Felipe Carrillo Puerto, told us more about the symbolism of this ceremony. "In the Mayan culture, all the elements of nature have a representative, a caretaker, another I, who protects them; that’s why we Mayan people cannot live without ceremonies, we cannot produce honey nor sow corn without a ceremony to the lord of earth, the lord of rain, the lord of bees, Ak Muk´en Cab, the "lord that takes care of bees". In our culture, 95% of life is dedicated to ceremonies, traditions, and customs. That’s why we share this ceremony with our friends and brothers who work at Xel-Ha. It is very important to keep practicing this tradition and keep breeding these bees that are also part of our culture and of the natural resources of the area. Losing them would mean losing part of our natural resources but also part of our Mayan identity".

The Mayan bee is an endemic species of America; it is stingless and therefore docile, but also very vulnerable to predators such as ants. It produces a small amount of honey, known for being helpful in the treatment of minor eye, skin and digestive diseases. The beekeepers of the area prefer to grow European bees, since they produce more, therefore the number of honey bee hives is gradually decreasing.

Before harvesting honey, a three-level altar is set, with three crosses covered with hipiles, in memory of the Talking Cross. The altar shows offerings to the lords of the elements. Among the offerings is a drink made of corn cooked in water and honey, called saká or disool. They also prepare a soup or chokob, made of chicken, red condiment, achiote and chicken broth. At the end of the ceremony, the whole community can eat the offering. This ceremony must be carried out at least every two years. Pedro Ku, chief gardener at Xel-Ha and originally from this area explains that "the local producers usually do it according to the bees´ productivity, that depends on the availability of honey flowers. We do it in September and June, five days before and five days after full moon. We don’t do it on "small" moons, because that is when the larvae are born and need food". Finally, Don Pedro May, the Mayan priest, thanked everybody for inviting him and blessed "the people of Xel-ha" before he left.

Properties of honey

The products obtained from the domestication of bees are honey and wax. Honey has healing properties for eye diseases (pterygium, conjunctivitis, and cataracts), ear diseases (ear infections), the respiratory system (pharyngitis and laryngitis), intestinal (gastritis, typhoid) and skin diseases (hepatic and sun spots, skin wounds, ulcers)

DTS, S.C.

DTS, S.C.

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